One Step Closer To The Stars
by chlorineobsession
Summary: Happily ever after isn't real. Shikamaru learnt that the hard way. [Shikatema with a hint of InoSai but mainly just Shikamaru x Temari] Kinda gay, Ino is an angel, angsty and yeah that about sums it up. [AU]
1. Step One: Rebirth

_He heard the door click shut behind him and he turned around to see who it was._

 _" I thought that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony. " he smirked, moving so that she could fasten his tie._

 _Temari laughed and brought a hand up to slap his chest where the tattooo rested, etched into his flesh permanently._

 _"We already know I'm a bad luck charm." She countered. When she finished tying it, she stepped back to observe her work with a satisfied smile._

 _"Now, Nara, I believe we're meant to be getting married in fifteen minutes. Get your lazy ass to that church before I get there."_

* * *

Shikamaru woke up surrounded by the warmth of a body that was not his own.

Groaning, he sat up. Why hadn't she left during the night? Or early in the morning?

He turned and looked at the person beside him.

 _Oh_

Why hadn't _he_ left last night.

Shikamaru hauled himself out of bed and went to fetch a glass of water for his one-night-turned-morning-stand. He hated them staying into the next day, but he wasn't a monster, and if his mildly hazy memory served him correctly, that man would definitely need a glass of water after what they'd been up to the night before.

He pulled on a shirt and a pair of boxers from the floor as he went, padding into the kitchenette and pouring the "guest" a drink into a tall cheap glass before returning to the room.

The man was asleep, curled up in Shikamaru's bed sheets like a kid.

He was pretty, Shikamaru concluded, but that was it. He didn't remember much conversation from last night, so he figured that there wasn't much of a point in getting his number.

Just as he was contemplating waking the stranger up to shoo him out of the apartment, his phone began buzzing from the bedside table on the opposite end of the table.

"Hello?" Shikamaru asked, his voice coming out a little hoarse.

"Morning, sunshine!" Came Nako's chirpy voice from the other end of the line. "I've got a mildly rushed concept meeting for you at one, it's a big one!"

Shikamaru groaned.

"That's too short notice, you're meant to be my secretary, not a harbinger of death, Nako..."

"They've got an extremely popular model booked for the shoot, though." She whined. "And the shoot is for a top brand too. They want to meet you at the cafe by the station."

The Nara sighed, glancing at the alarm clock beside him. He had more than enough time to get ready and head to the cafe, as well as kicking the man out of his apartment.

"Okay, have the details ready for me when I get there, and call a taxi to be at my place at twenty to one."

He hung up the phone and let out a breath. If it was for a decent company, the salary would probably be worth a rushed trip to a concept meeting.

"It _was_ You." He heard.

He spun around to see the man sitting up in the bed and rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, I'm me." He drawled, walking to a mess of clothes by the foot of the bed and tossing them to the other. "I need you out in the next ten minutes. Drink your water."

"Not even going to ask me my name?"

The pale man cocked his head to the side with an odd smile on his face, and Shikamaru decided he liked the man better when he was asleep.

"No. I'm not." He snapped. "If you know who I am, then you also know my reputation for having a short temper."

The man said nothing, instead finishing his glass of water in one go and pulling on his clothes.

"Alright, bye Nara Shikamaru." The man called over his shoulder as he left a minute or two later. "Thanks for last night."

Shikamaru raised a hand in mock farewell before shutting the door and checking the time.

He had a half hour left until the taxi arrived.

Pleased, he passed to the bathroom and took a quick shower, after which he pulled on a plain black turtle neck and black jeans.

Breakfast, as always, was skipped in favour of a smoke on the balcony with a coffee perched on his knee.

At twenty to one, he got a call from the taxi driver and he left his apartment, closing the door behind him and locking it.

Shikamaru had changed a lot throughout the years. Maybe it was because he'd grown up too fast, maybe not. He was punctual now. Surprisingly so.

The cafe was blissfully warm as he walked in to the sound of a soft jingling bell.

Nako was already at a table, waving him over.

"I've ordered your coffee," she said as a greeting, and he nodded in reply.

"You're early, here's the file." She beamed, sliding it over to him.

He glanced through it briefly. The model was apparently _to be decided_ , but the location, general concept and pay were all clearly outlined and he was pleased to see that they were considering a single week shoot.

"Here he is," he heard Nako say, and he hummed appreciatively before sliding the documents back into the folder and lifting his gaze.

"Nara Shikamaru, what a pleasure!" An enthusiastic young man called, making his way towards them.

"The pleasure is all mine..." Shikamaru began.

"Ryuta," the man smiled, extending his hand.

He had dyed red hair and everything about his demeanour screamed that he was new in the industry and excited for his project.

"The model is running a little over time," the man was continuing, tugging at a long chain earring that hung from an extremely over-pierced ear. "She should be here in five minutes."

He sat opposite the two others and ordered himself a coffee, winking at the blushing waitress as she bustled away from their table.

"So you've had a look at the general concept and location plans, I take it?" Ryuta asked when his drink arrived.

Shikamaru nodded, tapping his finger off the folder Nako had given him.

"All there, I just need to consult with you and the model then. "

"Great! And, I would just like to tell you how excited I am to be working on this with you, you're probably one of the most renowned photographers at the moment. It's really an honour."

Shikamaru blinked slowly at the man. Was he just some fanboy?

He realised Shikamaru was just doing it for the money, right?

A jingle sounded from the cafe door and Ryuta's face lit up brightly.

"Ah, here she is!" He lifted his hands and waved the model over.

"Model, meet photographer!" He announced proudly.

There was a pause as the two looked at each other. Shikamaru heard Nako yelp beside him, but he didn't respond.

"Temari." He stated.

The blonde blinked slowly before letting out a short laugh.

"Shikamaru. " she replied.

Ryuta glanced between the two of them nervously.

"Do um... do you two know each other?" He asked cautiously, as if sensing the tension radiating in waves. Shikamaru allowed his eyes to skim over the tussled hair and flushed cheeks of the woman he loved.

"Yes," Temari answered simply.

"We were married, once."

* * *

 _ **a/n: review me if you like it if you like~**_


	2. Step Two: Inked

_"Husband, please pass the salt."_

 _"It's the fifth time you've called me that this evening, will the charm ever wear off?"_

 _A small smile curled around Temari's mouth and she shook her head._

 _"You blush every time I say it, so no."_

 _Shikamaru rolled his eyes and slid the salt across the table to her._

 _"Thank you, husband."_

 _He couldn't stop a smirk from forming at the corner of his lips._

 _"What did I see in such a troublesome woman?" He drawled, earning a minute kick under the table from his wife. "Violent too."_

 _She laughed and set down her knife and fork beside a half-finished plate of food._

 _He searched her face in the sudden silence, drinking in the dusting of sun freckles on her tan skin, the tiny mole under one of her eyes and the crooked smile that showed off a chipped front tooth._

 _"You saw who she was, and by Fuck you loved it." Temari snickered._

 _He pursed his lips and looked away. Of course, that was a fact._

 _"Pass back the salt." He coughed._

 _"Pass back the salt, what?" She snapped._

 _"Pass back the salt, please."_

 _"That's not what I meant."_

 _He rolled his eyes once more and let a small laugh burst through his lips._

 _"Pass back the salt, please, wife."_

 _"Much better, husband."_

* * *

"Oh shit." Chōji coughed.

"Yeah," Shikamaru replied, leaning back into his sofa with the phone pressed to his ear.

"Well what are you gonna do?"

"Accept the job, obviously." He sighed. "It's just one shoot, and the pay is great. Nothing is going to happen anyways."

His eyes wandered around the room as he spoke.

It had been over a year since she'd left. Over a year had passed since he'd told himself that he had to repaint the walls because Temari had chosen that soft, greyish purple.

A year since he'd tucked away a small box filled with the most inconspicuous things which she'd left behind. Stationary, a scarf, some makeup.

He knew that he should bin them, but a small part of him thought that maybe she'd come back and say that she'd made a mistake, and that she would be staying for good.

Or even that she would show up again just to take the last few pieces of her that were left from him.

Over a year had passed.

"If you're sure," Chōji mumbled at the other end of the line. "You'll let me know if you need anything, right?"

"Right. Bye man, see you around."

He hung up and tossed his phone onto the coffee table with a tiny huff.

The entire situation was ridiculously _troublesome_.

When was the last time he'd even _thought_ that word?

He shut his eyes and tried to catch some sleep, but the heater under the windowsill was making noise and although he wouldn't usually notice it, it was annoying to hear.

He knew he should tell Ino, but he couldn't being himself to do it.

He and Temari had many mutual friends, and it took a lot of adjusting after the divorce. They agreed that there wouldn't be any "picking sides", but naturally some drifted away from others.

Ino had it the hardest out of all of them. She knew the two of them before they even knew each other; hell, _she_ was the one who'd introduced the two of them!

The phone began buzzing on the table and he snatched it up, wondering if Chōji had already told her. Shikamaru frowned down at the unknown number flashing before him but he picked it up anyways.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

Had his heart stopped beating?

It sure felt like it.

Why was his mouth suddenly so dry?

"Temari. Hi." He breathed.

He could hear her smile at the other end of the line.

"This is a mess, isn't it?"

Shikamaru opened and closed his mouth a few times before just grunting in agreement.

"You accepting?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru managed. "Yeah, I am."

"I'll see you at the airport on Wednesday, so." Her voice coated him and Shikamaru felt that odd emptiness again. The one he only felt when he thought of her. Of her absence from his life. "Bye."

And she was gone.

Just like the day she'd left him.

He sighed and burried his head in his hands. This really _was_ a mess.

The next morning his bed felt too big, and that massive, cold emptiness beside him reminded him that awkward one night stands were better than whatever _this_ loneliness was.

He showered, checked his emails and forgot breakfast before pulling on his jacket and making his way to the bar, not caring that it was only half two and that people would judge him for drinking that early.

"Shika!" Came a cheery voice the moment he walked in.

"Hey Ino."

Shikamaru walked over the counter and smiled at his friend who was polishing a tall glass at the other end of it.

"Business is doing great, thanks for asking." She smiled teasingly, pouring him a glass of water.

"I'll need something stronger than that," Shikamaru sighed. "And so will you."

...

"That's... great?"

Ino ran a finger through her hair and let out a hiss of breath.

"No, it isn't." Shikamaru laughed bitterly. "They waited till last minute to tell me who the model was on purpose. I bet you they think that the whole 'camera man and model had a crazy love life once' will give them added publicity and boost the views."

Ino nodded with a tight smile. She glanced down at her beer and grimaced, knowing that she probably should have taken Shikamaru's advice and gone for something stronger.

"Think about it, it's only one week. You can hold on that long, right? Plus it's on an island with a private mansion. You can do this!"

"Yeah, I can. This whole situation just pisses me off, you know?"

"I know."

And the worst part about it was that she _did_.

She understood so damn well and she was so _perfectly_ caring. That was the worst part of it all.

Because regardless of the fact that Shikamaru had all the kindness and support that the universe had to offer, he would never feel a single bit better.

...

Nako met him at the airport with his coffee and the files he would need. She was extremely apologetic the whole time, clearly still in shock that she hadn't been told Temari would be the model.

Their walk in was relatively tame, he was a big name but not the most recognisable, and he certainly wasn't the main attraction of the day.

He knew the exact moment Temari walked into the airport because there was a sudden yelp followed by loud cheering, yelling and camera shutters galore.

Shikamaru was suddenly glad that he chose to stay at the other end of the camera for his career.

When Temari spotted him, she gave a small smile and a polite wave, which he acknowledged by nodding.

Temari turned her back to him then, and began talking in a hushed tone to the man who stood beside her.

While he'd never been big on flying, getting in the plane offered some relief for him: away from the loudness and the stress.

Nako sat right next to him and Ryuta took the seat right after her.

His stomach dropped when Temari sat in the row right in front of him and began talking happily to the same man as from the airport. A bodyguard, he presumed.

Shikamaru spent the entire flight trying not to catch glimpses of Temari, or to make out parts of their conversation, but that was near impossible when one of his earphones wasn't working and the two were laughing loudly right in front of him.

At one point, Temari leaned across her seat to whisper something to the man and Shikamaru saw an inky shape behind her ear.

An antler.

He felt as though somebody had punched him in the gut.

 _"What are you getting?"_

 _"An antler, dummy." Temari scoffed. "To remind me of how you proposed in the deer park."_

 _A small smile curled on his lips and he tried to ignore the rush of pride that coursed through his blood._

 _"And where are you getting it?"_

 _"Guess." The devilish grin gave the answer away immediately._

 _Shikamaru brought a hand to the back of her neck and pulled her down on top of him, turning his head to plant a kiss to the back of her ear._

 _"Bingo," she breathed, before rolling off of him. "Your turn."_

 _He glanced at her and hid a small smile._

 _"I'm just getting something that reminds me of the moment I think I fell in love with you." He shrugged and she didn't push the matter so he said no more._

Sub consciously, Shikamaru placed a hand on his chest, his fingers tracing the outline of a constellation scratched over his heart.

Temari sat back in her seat and the antler tattoo disappeared from sight. It felt as though a weight had been lifted and Shikamaru allowed himself to exhale a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding in to begin with.

"Shikamaru, you okay?" Nako asked, turning her body towards him.

He nodded mutely and gave her a thumbs up sign. When she still looked concerned, he pulled his hand away from his chest with a small shrug.

"I'm not a great flyer."

"Ah." Nako nodded understandingly and left him alone as she turned to talk with Ryuta.

They landed after the two hour flight, only to be rushed onto another, smaller private plane which would take them to the island where their shoot was to take place.

Shikamaru sat as far from Temari as he could and wondered just how awkward the next few days were going to be.

The sun was shining so brightly, beautiful clouds lazed through the sky, and his entire world was a tangled mess of confusion.

The group of around fifteen had a private island all to themselves for seven days.

Their tiny, secret slice of the universe that nobody else would ever know about.

A whole seven days with Temari, and his messy confused emotions.

* * *

 _ **A/N: hola, please let me know what you think. Ik a few people were thrown off by me making Shikamaru bisexual. I'm not going to change that. This is an Au and how I see the character. Some people weren't phased by it, others were a little confused and that's fine. What isn't fine is me getting a homophobic pm by someone. I am gay, not out to my family or anything, but I'm fairly open about it in general. I find writing about gay characters a lot more natural than heterosexual couples but I only really get a chance to do that in my original pieces rather than in fanfics. Please, please PLEASE be more respectful of this. If you don't like reading about a gay couple or whatever, just don't read on. It's really rude and upsetting to have to go through a long message of homophobic slurs and insults. I'm not asking people to accept me, because I can't even accept myself half the time, but I'm just asking for a little respect. I won't hesitate to block someone if I get another harsh message in the future.**_

 _ **That aside, thank you for the positive feedback and the welcome back messages :):);)**_

 _ **Follow/fave/review!**_

 _ **~Lee**_


	3. Step Three: Home

_"Home sweet home." Temari sighed, reaching into her pocket to extract the newly cut key to open the apartment door._

 _"First time moving out together, check."_

 _"What do you mean first time? Do you think well have to move again?"_

 _They stepped inside and kicked off their shoes before shrugging their jackets off their shoulders._

 _Temari set her keys down on a small shelf, allowing her fingers to linger on the small, fan-shaped keyring that hung from them._

 _"You never know," Shikamaru sighed as he moved into the sitting room that Temari had just recently painted a purple-grey colour. "If kids ever come into the equation or something..."_

 _Temari froze and opened her mouth as though she was about to answer when her phone buzzed in her pocket, distracting her._

 _She glanced down at it and seemed to pale for a moment before turning the screen off and giving Shikamaru a tight smile._

 _"What were we saying?" She asked, seemingly forgetting their conversation._

 _Shikamaru sighed. He'd noticed that a lot in the past while, how she would get distracted by her phone or laptop at small notifications but he knew how much Temari valued her space and privacy so he decided to take a step back and let her talk to him about any issues whenever she was ready._

 _"I'll get dinner going," he offered instead, avoiding her question._

 _"Great, I'm just going to take a shower." She beamed._

 _He heard the bathroom door's lock click shut as he went to the kitchen, but the water didn't start running._

 _He figured she was just nervous for the shoot she had the next week or something. That was a simple solution that made the most sense to him._

The bedroom that Shikamaru had been assigned was easily bigger than his entire apartment.

He drank in the sight of the large double bed, the antique wardrobe and the tall glass door that led to a sea-view balcony.

The person who owned this mansion had apparently invested in shares in the company that the shoot was for, and Shikamaru skimmed his hand across the mahogany paneling as he mentally ran through the test shoot they would have to do the next day.

A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts and he turned to see Nako leaning into his room.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked as he moved to stand closer to her. He caught a subtle hint of perfume and noticed a slight flush on her cheeks.

"Um, I was told to let you know that dinner is going to be served in ten minutes." She said, sounding a bit nervous.

Shikamaru thanked her and padded into the bathroom that was attached to his room for a quick shower. He opted to pull on a dress shirt under a pullover jumper, figuring that nobody would dress too fancily.

The dinner was a rather calm affair.

Temari took the seat right opposite his and he wanted nothing more than to go to bed and ignore the weird stew of anxiety and bitterness that he was feeling in his stomach any time she would talk to the man who was seated beside her. Although she spent a lot of her time glancing down at her phone, the man got her attention fairly easily with a witty comment or an undertone statement.

Not many people made an attempt to talk to him as he closed himself off but he looked around the table at the group of people that were gathered.

He noted the first aiders, light technicians and mansion staff. And then there was Temari and the man he assumed was her body guard, Nako and Ryuta and that was it.

He wasn't used to working on such laid back projects, but he wasn't going to complain. The fewer people there were, the quicker he could get things sorted.

As the plates were cleared away, Shikamaru made for his bedroom.

The sky had darkened since he'd gone to eat and he pulled off his jumper before heading to the balcony doors and opening them.

The night air was soft and warm. Not what he'd expected.

Automatically he reached for a cigarette and lit one before perching it between his lips and inhaling deeply.

Leaning against the balcony railings, he tilted his head skyward and looked at the stars. He hated doing that, it was cliché, but away from the city smog, everything seemed so much clearer.

Popping open the first two buttons of his shirt he sighed.

Nothing really was clear, was it?

"Well, this seems familiar." Said a voice to his left. "Doesn't it?"

He started and turned in the direction of the voice.

On the balcony beside his, temari was leaning against the wrought iron railing, her hair damp and pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head.

"It does," he eventually conceded.

Temari kept her eyes fixed on the sky and she eventually smiled.

"Do you remember any of the constellations?" She teased, her eyes flickering over to his chest for a fraction of a second.

"How could I forget?"

She nodded thoughtfully before pushing off the railing, barely looking away from him as she strolled back into her own room.

"See you tomorrow, Shikamaru."

He didn't reply as he stubbed out his cigarette on the railing and gave the sky one last glance before heading inside to try catch some sleep.

 _Well, this seems familiar, doesn't it?_

* * *

 _ **a/n:**_ wellp this has left been sitting on my phone for the past half month my dudes I've just been too lazy to pop in the italics but hErE wE ArE .

I hope y'all are taking good care of yourselves, sleeping eating and relaxing well and all that jazz, thanks for all the support on this piece so far Idk what I've done to deserve such amazing people reading my work~

Please follow/fave/review to save a soul and remember: you're nice, keep going.

~lee


	4. Step Four: Perfect

_The front door opened so softly it was as if she didn't want to be heard._

 _With a soft sigh, Shikamaru stood up and opened the bedroom door to peer down the hall and find her kneeling forward while untying her shoelaces._

 _"Hey," he whispered._

 _Temari started, her head snapping up, but she smiled at him after her surprise melted away._

 _"Hey," she responded. "I'm taking the couch, okay?"_

 _He hadn't seen her for the past two and a half weeks, and of course he was disappointed. It must have shown on his face since his wife took a small step forward and placed a peck on his nose._

 _"I really need to catch up on some sleep, okay? I'll be in bed tomorrow."_

 _He nodded and coursed his fingers through her hair. She had dyed it a light red for her most recent shoot, and while he didn't dislike it, it wasn't the same kind of stunning as her natural hair was._

 _And he knew something was wrong._

 _He saw it in the bags under her eyes. In the ribs he'd never seen before as they made an appearance under the stretch of her skin. He saw it in the unnatural paleness of her skin, and in the almost faded look that her eyes gave him as she smiled apologetically. He saw it in the way she looked away from him guiltily._

 _He saw it every time he saw her. Something has horribly wrong._

 _"Okay." He replied, with a false smile of his own. "Sleep well."_

 _She looked as though she was about to say something more, but a buzzing sound from her pocket caused her face to freeze mid move. She gave him a final one of her smiles before heading into the sitting room with a soft "goodnight."_

 _He knew something was wrong, but he told himself that to give her space was the right thing to do. If she wanted to tell him she would._

 _Right?_

"Wrong." Shikamaru snapped. " This is all wrong."

He let go of his camera and sighed. The lighting crew gave a collective eye roll at his outburst but knew better than to call him out on it.

"The set is messing this up. Take a break, come be back in thirty with at least two good suggestions, all of you."

The heat was unbearable, and the strap of his camera burnt against the back of his neck as he walked to the shade of a parasol.

Temari carefully peeled off the jacket she had to wear and set it down on a table filled with props.

"Nara," she drawled. "Relax."

He scoffed but refused to reply as he laid down and shut his eyes.

"These are only preliminary shots, we have all day to see what works and what doesn't." She continued. "Besides, we also have an entire _island_."

He heard an inelegant _thump_ to his left and cracked his eyes open to find her seated beside him in the shade.

Temari had always loved the sun, he knew, but her managers didn't want her getting too much of a tan during shoots. She was coated in sunscreen and had to wear a large sombrero-like hat as she walked between the locations.

"Whatever," he murmured.

Temari sighed and smacked his arm playfully.

"Come on, let's go for a walk."

He has no idea why, but he found himself standing up and following her. They walk across the stretch of beach towards a small tree filled area of the island. It wasn't a large land mass it would be easy enough to walk around the perimeter of the island in the space of a few hours, but the whole of the island was so diverse that Shikamaru wondered whether he was stepping through wormholes every two or three minutes.

He kept a few paces behind Temari as she bounced along ahead of him, clearly glad to be away from hair and makeup for a short while.

"Taka told me that there were a few rundown buildings that used to serve as bars when this island was used as a holiday resort." She was saying from up ahead of him.

 _Taka_ , her bodyguard.

"Great."

Sure enough, after a few minutes of strolling over roots and needle-like leaves, a small disshevelled hut made its appearance before them. Smiling (well maybe not smiling, Shikamaru couldnt actually see her face but he took an educated guess), Temari made her way up to it.

"Well that was productive. Let's head back now."

The blonde turned to glare at him.

"No, we're going in."

He watched her pull a thin clip from her expertly mussed up hair and she fiddled with the lock for a few moments before a small click sounded.

"You pick locks now. Impressive."

"Shut up." She almost laughed it. "I never tried to pick locks before, that was just lucky I guess."

Shikamaru stood a little away from her as she turned the handle and walked into the little bar. Her skinny trousers were a dark shining black which contrasted with her mute cream shirt that hung loosely over her shoulders, showing off her collarbones in a terribly distracting way. Why was he following this woman?

"Tem, it's probably private property we really shouldn't-"

"Oh come on you wuss. Man up and break into some crusty old bar, won't you?"

Suddenly he was years younger once more, stupidly following Temari as she did whatever she pleased. That damn smile luring him away from what he knew was the right thing to do and towards something unknown.

It was perfect.

The dust inside the hut buzzed around his face as he stepped inside, following Temari on her path. All the windows were shuttered and she made her way towards them to find a way to let some light in, stepping around tables and stools.

The beach didn't fully fit the concept of the clothes, but this run down bar did, with its tall counter stools and motionless ceiling fans. It was perfect.

"You're welcome." Temari smirked, noticing his expression of awe.

"Shut up."

She rolled her eyes but didn't respond, strolling over to the counter to take a seat.

As she leaned forward to prop her chin lazily atop her upturned palm, his finger moved without his permission and snapped a picture.

Startled, Temari turned to him.

"The setting is perfect." He reasoned, and she smiled.

"Of course it is." She agreed, "how do you want me?"

The question took him by surprise but he brushed aside the innuendo in favour of talking work.

"We'll wait for more staff before taking shots. The lighting isn't right."

"These are only preliminary shots." She deadpanned. "Just to see how the picture fits."

She stood up and brushed her fingers along the countertop, humming gently. When she'd made her way to the end of the bar Shikamaru raised a hand.

"Stop."

She did.

"The angle is great."

He made his way towards her and took a shot, and then another.

They continued like that for a while, Temari pacing the small establishment and Shikamaru taking the occasional photo that complimented the outfit well. Light filtered in through tiny vertical cracks in the shutters, casting tiny rays like spotlights on odd sections of the room, across a table top or through a dusty glass cabinet. When she took a seat at one of the tables, a small rectangle of sunlight caught Temari's face, slicing down through one of her eyes. She blinked in surprise but then settled for squinting to adjust to the awkward lighting she was suddenly subjected to.

"Stay there." He breathed, because this was a photo opportunity he wasn't going to miss. His legs moved of their own accord, and he paced right up to her.

"Close your eye."

The moment her right eye shut, he took the shot, noticing how her breath hitched as the shutter made an electronic fluttering noise.

It was at that moment he realised how close to her he'd gotten, a leg between both of hers, looking down at her- one eye closed and lips parted.

He would have commented on it, or apologised, had the sound of voices not distracted him at that moment. He practically jumped away from her.

" _There_ you are!" Came Ryuta's voice as the young man stepped inside and looked around. "Well isn't this lovely?"

Taka and Nako walked in shortly behind him.

"Will I call for hair, makeup and lighting?" Nako offered, glancing at Shikamaru with a hesitant smile before narrowing her eyes subtly at Temari.

"Please." He answered. "This location is perfect."

As they waited for the staff to find the cabin-like bar, the five of them sat in semi-awkward silence around one of the round tables.

Shikamaru watched Nako's eyes nervously flit between him and Temari before finally sighing and standing, gesturing for her to follow him outside.

"What is it?" He snapped, the moment they were out of ear shot.

"Shikamaru. I will be blunt. " Nako sighed, matter of fact as always. "I don't like her. She hurt you before, and you can't let her do that to you again."

Shikamaru snorted. " Nako. Thank you for your concern but I can take care of myself."

"You _literally_ let her drag you into a cabin in the woods. A _dark_ cabin in the woods. _Alone_."

"We took a few shots, that's it." He replied. "Besides, it's a good location and you know it."

With a hesitant frown, Nako nodded, the smell of her perfume drifting towards him pleasantly as she did so.

"Just be careful. It's my job as your personal assistant to look out for you."

She walked back inside without another word.

He almost commented on the fact she was his secretary, not his personal assistant, but he concluded that it wasn't worth the effort.

When Nako had her mind set on something, there was no changing it.

* * *

 _ **A/N: jared19 never learned how to read, hello!**_

 _ **Only 2 more chapters left on this, how very sad... or not I'm not sure yet.**_

 _ **Lemme know what you guys think~**_

 _ **Also the world is ending? The US is an icicle and sea levels are rising and Jennie and Kai broke up so like, I hope this chapter has made someone's day a little better, ngl dudes I'm slightly high okay Adios!**_

 _ **~lee**_


	5. Read me!

**[** ** _AN]_** _hey hi hello greetings etc, ChlorineObsession here ?_

 _I'm sorry for making an entire chapter dedicated to an authors note. I would only read this if you are genuinely interested in my fics because it's kinda long and probably boring *but* You might be interested by this so here we go!_

 _I have spent the past few weeks wondering whether or not to just delete the stories that I haven't completed yet along with possibly disabling my account. This isn't because of anything specific, I just haven't been feeling particularly capable of finishing a lot of the works I'd started, and I also have exams in June which are pretty much gonna decide whether or not I'm getting the scholarship I've been working towards for the past 3 years, so I suppose I've been rather busy._

 ** _However._**

 _Writing does bring me a lot of joy, and I've begun writing for a different fandom on a different site. I've made some incredible friends through this fandom and it made me realise how detached this community is, which is why I've decided that instead of just scrapping what I've got so far, I want to try improving it instead._

 _After my exams in June, I will begin working on remastered versions of all the fics I decide to continue with, as well as reaching out to people for support with these fics._

 ** _This is where you come in!_**

 _I'll be looking for some help and outside opinions regarding how I change my stories and perhaps start some new ones. This will be in the form of editors, beta readers and just anyone willing to listen to my rambling._

 _For this, I'm hoping to set up a discord server. For anyone who doesn't use discord, it's an app usually used for gamers as far as I'm aware, but it's just really handy for communicating/planning and forming a community._

 _If you're interested in giving a hand, meeting other people within the fandom and also getting support for your own fics, hit me up in the comments or in pms. If I get enough interest, I'll launch this initiative and we can help boost this (kinda withering) community._

 _I'll add in more details if I see it fit to do so!_

 _Let me know what you think,_

 _~Lee_


	6. Step Five: World Ending

**warning for smut! If you don't wanna read it, stop looking at "That's all I ask" and then you're safe again after the next line, at "it was two worlds..."**

 **This is also the teeniest bit messy since it was only beta read till the halfway mark but I'd like to thank UnmotivatedGenius for being a betareading angel for me, and for everyone in our discord server for generally motivating me to get off my ass and write, I've been blessed**

* * *

 _Her silence was deafening._

 _He heard it in the conversations they stopped having, and saw it in her paling complexion as she scrolled through the barrage of notifications that came in on her phone._

 _It haunted him, almost._

 _His feather light kisses to the tattoo behind her ear no longer made her laugh, just sigh-but it was okay._

 _She'd tell him when the time was right._

* * *

It was a mistake to type in those words, and Shikamaru damn well knew it. He didn't know what it was that had compelled him to go to the search engine and look up her name, but none of that mattered. What was the point in dissecting reason when the only important fact to note was that he did it to begin with.

He'd held off for so long though, hadn't he?

Once he'd entered his search, he was met with a myriad of tabloid-type articles from newspapers and websites. Half of them were utter shit- discussing her tattoos, conspiracies surrounding why she'd dyed her hair black four years ago, ridiculous things like that.

He found articles about their marriage, articles about their divorce, articles about a rumoured pregnancy from five years beforehand, which he remembered Temari stressing over. Somewhere, buried in the piles of fact and fiction, he found the article he'd most been dreading.

It was dated from just under half a year ago, and the hyperlink just said "Tema's Newest Heartthrob?!"

Reluctantly, though not reluctantly at all, he entered the site and scrolled half heartedly through the article, glancing at the blurred, backlit images of Temari chattering away happily with- her bodyguard, of course.

"We're starting back in four!" Came Ryuta's voice from somewhere to the left and Shikamaru hastily switched his phone screen off and dropped the device to his chest as a small group of crew members began walking to where he'd been "napping" under a blue striped parasol.

It was the last day of shoots, and Shikamaru couldn't have been gladder that it was almost over- a day ahead of schedule, no less.

Hauling himself out of the inclining chair he'd claimed as his own, tucked away beneath the shade of a parasol, and returned to the shack where the shoot was taking place.

The minute hand seemed to linger at the Roman numeral "vi" for an eternity, and Shikamaru wanted nothing more than for it to be so kind as to continue on its merry way back up to "xii" so that it would be socially acceptable for him to leave.

It was half past nine, and the first thing he noticed was Temari's empty seat. And then Taka's, her bodyguard's. And then Ryuta's. And Nako's.

Though maybe Nako's absence was more related to the odd tension he'd been feeling the past few days, sizzling between them like some kind of static charge in the form of her new, overbearing perfume.

 _"I don't like her, Shikamaru. She's hurt you once before, I don't wanna see you like that again!_ "

And Shikamaru had dismissed her. Nothing was going to happen between them outside of work. _Really_ \- nothing.

But now the volume of Temari's absence was amplified by the fact her bodyguard wasn't there either. Everyone noticed- of course they did. A few crew members glanced at him wearily, sensing the anxiety that was radiating from him in waves. The small group of people were holding a gathering, popping champagne bottles front right and centre, cheering and toasting to things as mundane as a successful struggle to return a telescopic tripod to its box.

Nobody paid Shikamaru much attention after a few drinks as the crew milled around the dining hall, selecting canape after canape and talking animatedly to each other as bubbles rose in champagne flutes but Temari was absent, and that's all Shikamaru's mind could process, even sober.

He stayed for a half hour- etiquette and formalities and all that jazz.

The moment the hour hand hit ten o'clock, Shikamaru excused himself from the small celebration and made his way up creaking stairs to his bedroom at the end of the spacious hall.

He walked slowly, not seeing any reason to rush, but a faint noise coming two doors before his own made him stop in his tracks. If he remembered correctly- which, of course, he did- that room belonged to Taka.

He tipped his head slightly nearer to the door and startled when what had first seemed like the gentle creak of a bed turned into the sound of somebody clearly being pushed up against the door just inches away from where his ear found itself.

Then silence.

Frowning, Shikamaru glanced towards Temari's bedroom which stood a few feet away from him, door ajar and contents empty.

"H-harder!"

Flushing, Shikamaru's concern and curiosity was replaced instantly by mortification and he began shuffling towards his bedroom, counting the floorboards he stepped over in an attempt to ignore Temari's empty room and to make his thoughts stop screaming "that was a woman's voice" at him.

He pulled his door open swiftly and stepped inside, shutting it harshly before leaning back against it and shutting his eyes to take a few deep breaths.

That was _definitely_ a woman's voice.

He counted to ten before opening his eyes to go to bed.

"What the fuck?"

Temari smiled up at him from where she was, flopped down gracelessly on his bed, with her head hanging upside down off the edge, headphones blaring music. She waved at him cautiously before switching off whatever she was listening to on her phone and sitting up, a bottle suddenly materialising from behind her as she scooted over to sit cross-legged at the foot of the bed, her back pressed against a bed-post.

"Sorry," she half-laughed. "The others were being… loud..."

Shikamaru sighed at her tousled hair and easy smile and walked over to sit opposite her by the padded headboard.

"Its okay," he managed, getting over his initial shock he gestured vaguely to the bottle in her hand. "Is that sake?"

A grin blossomed on Temari's face as she lifted the item in question.

"Obviously."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and forced the fondness out of his voice as he replied:

"You've not changed."

"And you have?"

It was a challenge, and one which he felt all too eager to take her up on.

"You tell me."

Her reply was interrupted by a long, breathy call from two rooms across. Temari laughed lightly and Shikamaru's thoughts told him that that was definitely _not_ a woman's voice.

"They're so loud!" He grumbled.

"Hmm," Temari agreed as she moved to open her bottle of sake. "Hence why I came in here."

"Can't blame you."

And her smirk came back as she took a swig from the bottle and extended it to him, wordlessly.

They continued in silence, passing the drink back and forth between unlinked hands, being careful not to let skin brush skin. Much like that time they'd stood across from each other on their neighbouring balconies, it was a familiar scene.

Their silence was occasionally interrupted by a non-PG sound effect which would leave Temari gasping for breath after collapsing into a fit of laughter.

"I'm glad those three got their shit together at last." She said at one point. "If I had to see Take checking out Ryuta's ass one more time without actually _getting_ a piece of it, I'd have exploded."

Shikamaru hummed and took another long drink of the sake, hissing as it burned its way pleasantly down his throat.

"And don't get me _started_ on your assistant ogling the pair of them. I think she hates me?"

Shikamaru shrugged.

"Okay, now I _know_ she hates me," her pleased tone had shifted to bubbling laughter and Shikamaru was reminded once again of how soft Temari became after a few drinks- all good vibes and genuine humour.

"I don't think _hate_ is quite the right word." Shikamaru offered. "Try 'strongly dislikes', maybe."

Temari laughed again and the sound of it seemed far closer to him than she felt.

A slamming noise came from somewhere in the other room and he passed the bottle back to the blonde, their fingers brushing as she gripped the neck. He was the only one to flinch, but she didn't seem to notice.

"We could have made a game out of this." Temari murmured eventually. "Take a shot every time Ryuta screams 'daddy!'."

Shikamaru finally felt a laugh break from his throat. "We'd have finished the bottle too soon."

She smirked at him and arched an eyebrow.

"Took you long enough to crack a joke." She offered as an explanation for her expression, and the younger shrugged.

"I've never been renowned for my humour."

"You make a fair point."

"When don't I?"

* * *

"And then-" Temari wheezed, clutching her side as she tried to smother her giggles with words. "- then Taka asked me if his ass looked 'do-able' in those trousers before _marching up to Ryuta_ just to ask him where the nearest vending machine was!"

Shikamaru couldn't help a laugh of his own from rising up to meet Temari's in the warm bedroom, joining the lo-fi music which drifted softly from Temari's phone as Shikamaru wondered when that had happened. The other three had finally fallen silent after what must have been at least an hour of loud noises and filthy conversation.

The bottle of sake was well polished off, and Shikamaru liked the gentle slur that had established itself as a part of Temari's voice as she spoke of her bodyguard's attempts at wooing their project manager.

"Nako started wearing a stronger perfume since we arrived here." He contributed. "That Ryuta guy really has it in for the two of them, doesn't he?"

Temari made a noncommittal sound at the back of her throat.

"He's an attractive guy," she offered with a shrug, glancing down at the cuffs of her sweatpants and pulling them away from her ankles only to let them snap back down again.

Shikamaru nodded. If he'd been five years younger, he'd have easily been as whipped for the man's slender frame and excessive piercings and tattoos as Taka and Nako appeared to be.

The music stilled for a moment and was replaced by a buzzing sound as Temari's phone vibrated to inform her of an incoming notification.

And this was a familiar scene too- watching her blanch slightly and scroll through her phone for a moment. Except this time it was for more than a minute, the seconds seemed to drag by, and Shikamaru watched as his ex wife turned her screen off and allowed the music to play again, only to be replaced almost instantly by more notifications. She rolled her eyes and turned off her phone completely, leaving the pair in what had now become an awkward silence.

"Sorry." She offered with a sigh.

"Don't be."

He'd stretched his leg out at one point, and he was acutely aware of how close his ankle was to her knee. The sudden realisation made him want to draw his leg back in to protect it, but the alcohol flowing through his veins urged him to keep it where it was.

"Shikamaru." Temari said suddenly, her eyes pinned somewhere to the left of his face. "If tomorrow was the end of the world, what would you do?"

He rolled his eyes. What kind of a question even was that?

"What _could_ I do?"

Temari glared at him and he cleared his throat as a form of apology.

"Probably get pissed drunk and sleep through it."

Temari pursed her lips and was clearly trying hard not to start laughing again.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you were expecting that very answer. What would you do?"

Those were clearly the wrong words to pick, because the moment they'd left his mouth, Temari's expression darkened.

"Definitely something that involves a bed," she replied in a low tone. "Not sleeping, though."

Shikamaru knew exactly where this was headed, and everything in him was telling him that this was a bad idea. A _really_ fucking bad idea. She'd had alcohol, she was tired and they're divorced, damit.

And suddenly, there was only a thread of air between them. When on earth had Temari's hands made their way to his jaw?

"T-Tem, this is a bad idea…" he stuttered out as her fingers began trailing down, ghosting over his throat and settling in the dip of his collarbone.

"Why?" She hummed out simply, her eyes finally on his.

"You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk." Temari snapped. "I'm just tipsy enough to know what I want, and to go for it."

"You'll regret it tomorrow…"

At that, the blonde let out a low laugh.

"Weren't you listening, _Shika?"_ She was whispering now, her lips brushing the shell of his ear as she spoke, and her fingers trailing along his shoulders. "There is no tomorrow."

Shikamaru hesitated, taking in her deep gaze and mussed up hair as she peered up at him through her lashes in a way that was simultaneously so Temari and so Un-Temari his heart ached.

"Don't you want this too?" She breathed.

 _Of course. But I don't want just this- I want you._

When he said nothing, Temari sighed and pulled back away from him, her smile turning into something more sombre. Something more sincere.

"It won't have to mean anything." She explained.

 _Maybe not to you._

"Please?"

And how could he say no to that? To those eyes that screamed _I have you but I still want you to try take it for yourself_. To that tiny winning smirk and messy hair and the mole right on the lash line of her left eye, and to those fingers inching up his arm, tracing the ridges of his shirt.

How could he possibly say no?

"One night." He conceded, breathlessly.

"That's all I ask."

And suddenly her lips were on his jaw, working their way down to the hollow of his throat as she moved up the bed to straddle his lap, her hands frenziedly working away at the buttons of his shirt and Shikamaru wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or to cry when her teeth grazed the sensitive juncture where his shoulder met his neck.

"C'mon, Shika." She mumbled against his skin and he remembered that he was meant to do something too, so he slipped his hand under her shirt and began trailing his fingers up, up, tracing the arch of her spine as she pulled her mouth away from his throat for just long enough to suck in a sharp breath at the touch.

He wasn't sure when exactly his shirt got thrown off, but suddenly he was topless, leaning back against the headboard as she pulled her own top off and tugged the band out of his hair in a quick motion.

"Nice bra." He smirked.

"Don't get me started." Her eyes rolled as she said that with an annoyed tone, but he didn't miss her tiny smirk as she reached back to unhook the annoyingly fluorescent-orange garment and let it fall from her shoulders before placing a hand on his chest, her fingers covering the constellation tattoo that was etched into his skin.

He didn't tell her she's beautiful. What they were doing- what they had- it was nothing to do with beauty. There was nothing beautiful about this.

Her sweatpants were the next to go, then his jeans, he looked around at the mess they'd made- the mess she'd made of him- and then when their eyes met something stopped. Like a final string snapping, cheeks flushed, panting, naked bar a few flimsy pieces of cloth. Something had changed and he sees her moving towards him, eyes set on his lips like a predator going in for the kill and there's something familiar about this too. But he won't let that happen again.

Her nose brushed his and he jolted his head to the side- something about kissing her seemed far too intimate, which he knew was ridiculous given that his hand was literally tracing her collarbone and he could feel bruises blooming from where her mouth had just left his throat, but a kiss seemed like too much. Her lips found his jaw instead and she stilled for a moment, clearly getting the hint.

With a decisive huff, she reached down and rested her fingers at the waist of his boxers, tracing his length over the material because teasing was something she could never quite seem to resist but shikamaru wasn't about to complain- any friction was relieving at that point.

His hand dipped lower to cup her breast, massaging softly and she sighed against his skin, her hips jutting slightly forwards as she sank her teeth into the skin right beneath his jaw. He skimmed his thumb briefly over one of her hardening nipples as his other hand curled around her waist.

"Stop." She painted suddenly and he let go in a hurry, his eyes snapping up from where they'd been observing the muscles in her arms tensing and relaxing as she braced it on the headboard, fist clenched right by his ear.

She clambered off him and stumbled out of the room. Shikamaru sat on the bed thinking _well shit. Time for a cold shower_ and felt anger rising in him the moment she hustled back in, still in nothing but her black panties, and shut the door behind her, regaining her place on his lap.

"What was-" he began but she raised her hand in answer to his incomplete question, showing two small foil packets. He didn't question why she'd brought lube and condoms with her to a short photo shoot, but he also didn't have the time to mull over it as she brought her hand back to his erection with a devilish grin.

"Ready?" She smirked, and he nodded.

"How do you want this?" She asked, her head tipping to the side as she pulled down his boxers, and then stripped herself down too. Wordlessly, he maneuvered her into position, on her stomach with her arms crossed in beneath her head, legs bent at the knees. It wasn't because he wanted to see her vulnerable, it really wasn't. Shikamaru just wasn't sure he'd be able to look her in the eyes that night- or any night- without screaming or crying or telling her he loved her, he missed her.

He tapped the side of her thigh and she wordlessly reached her hand back to pass him the two packets she'd brought back from her room. He rolled the condom on and ripped open the lube, warming it between his hands before applying it to his length. He knew not a lot of couples used lube (not the straight ones, anyways) but it was something he'd always preferred and it seemed to have grown on Temari too.

"You ready?" he asked, stroking himself a few times to relieve some tension. He couldn't see her expression very well, just a sliver of her profile beneath her blonde hair, the plane of her back, but he saw her nod slightly.

"Words, Temari," he sighed, bringing a hand to trail down her back, resting at her hip.

"Yes." She whispered. "I'm ready."

* * *

It was two worlds colliding. A tide. The constant ebbing and flowing of a wave. A wave that shouldn't have formed in the first place. Shikamaru swore he could feel their world breaking apart only to click back into place, piece by piece, breath by breath, heartbeat by beautiful heartbeat.

* * *

Her breathing had barely returned to normal when she sat up and picked her sweatpants and t-shirt, legs wobbling, before sitting on the edge of his bed to pull them on.

He glanced at her figure from where he was sprawled on his back, still basking in the afterglow of his orgasm. With a final look in his direction, she stood up and his arm shot forward, fingers curling around his wrist to hold her in place.

 _I love you._

 _I miss you._

 _Don't leave me again._

 _Stay._

"Stay." He breathed. Temari gave him a careful look, eyes sleepy and hair sticking up every which way. Her eyes, god, her eyes, dropped down to his tattoo and a sad smile curled onto her lips.

"Okay," she whispered, sinking down onto the mattress beside him and letting his tired, heavy arms wind around her waist and hold her there, close to him.

"Stay he mumbled again, into the hot skin of her neck, as if casting some kind of spell.

He drifted off to sleep like that, with her pressed close where he couldn't help but feel she belonged, and when he awoke the next morning the empty space beside him was cold enough to give away the fact that she'd left the moment he'd fallen into his slumber.

* * *

 _ **A/N: hellooo! 0% of me is sorry for this ;)**_

 _ **One chapter to go *woohoo***_

 _ **We have a Discord server now! If you wanna join the shikatema community, the code for the server is ZMSxJ43 just pop that in to find the community and just chat, were chill and don't bite I swear, and there are actually a lot of writers from the community who I look up to (a lot!) Who have joined so if I seem a bit starstruck now you know why~ as always, please follow/fave/review!**_

 _ **-L**_


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